time

/taɪm/

//taɪm// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"time" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“time” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #60 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#60
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

time vs TM
0% similar
time vs tom
50% similar
time vs tip
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for time
PropertyValue
Headwordtime
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/taɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#60
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “time” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). time lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for time is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /taɪm/. Corpus data places it at rank #60 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 27 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for time, with forms such as "itme", "tiem", and "timme". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "TM", "tom", "tip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tyme, time, from Old English tīma (“time, period, space of time, season, lifetime, fixed time, favorable time, opportunity”), from Proto-West Germanic *tīmō, from Proto-Germanic *tīmô (“time”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂imō, from Pro… The correct English form is time, spelled T-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
  2. 2
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
  3. 3
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
  4. 4
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
  5. 5
    The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
  6. 6
    A duration of time.
  7. 7
    A duration of time.
  8. 8
    A duration of time.
  9. 9
    A duration of time.
  10. 10
    A duration of time.
  11. 11
    A duration of time.
  12. 12
    A duration of time.
  13. 13
    An instant of time.
  14. 14
    An instant of time.
  15. 15
    An instant of time.
  16. 16
    An instant of time.
  17. 17
    An instant of time.
  18. 18
    An instant of time.
  19. 19
    An instant of time.
  20. 20
    The measurement under some system of region of day or moment.
  21. 21
    A ratio of comparison (see also usage notes and prepositional sense at 'times').
  22. 22
    The measured duration of sounds.
  23. 23
    The measured duration of sounds.
  24. 24
    The measured duration of sounds.
  25. 25
    The measured duration of sounds.
  26. 26
    Synonym of tense
  27. 27
    Clipping of a long time.

Etymology

From Middle English tyme, time, from Old English tīma (“time, period, space of time, season, lifetime, fixed time, favorable time, opportunity”), from Proto-West Germanic *tīmō, from Proto-Germanic *tīmô (“time”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂imō, from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- (“to divide”). Related to tide. Not related to Latin tempus. Cognates * Scots tym, tyme (“time”) * Alemannic German Zimen, Zīmmän (“time, time of the year, opportune time, opportunity”) * Danish time (“hour, lesson”) * Elfdalian taime (“hour”) * Faroese tími (“hour, lesson, time”) * Icelandic tími (“time, season”) * Norwegian time (“lesson, hour”) * Swedish timma, timme (“hour”).

Synonyms

time

This word in other languages

tiempo(Español)temps(Français)Zeit(Deutsch)tempo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: itme,tiem,timme,tmie,ttime

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of time - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

itme2tiem2timme1tmie2ttime1
Edit distance from "time"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "time"?
"time" is spelled T-I-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /taɪm/.
What does "time" mean?
As a noun, "time" means: The inevitable progression into the future with the passing of present and past events.
What words are commonly confused with "time"?
"time" is commonly confused with "TM", "tom", "tip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "time"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "time" is /taɪm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "time"?
From Middle English tyme, time, from Old English tīma (“time, period, space of time, season, lifetime, fixed time, favorable time, opportunity”), from Proto-West Germanic *tīmō, from Proto-Germanic *tīmô (“time”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂imō... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “time”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-I-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /taɪm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “TM” - see the side-by-side comparison. time vs TM
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list